Some users will also want to research a VPN provider’s peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing policies. There are VPNs that block torrents. Others turn a blind eye to them, but will sell you out in a heartbeat should you be up to no good. P2P is not our main focus here, but we will note in each review whether a particular provider allows file sharing or not.
It can be quite simple to watch Netflix and other restricted goodies. You'll have to use a VPN service that allows you to get a unique IP address. This can often be available for an additional fee. Look for VPN services that offer a "dedicated IP address", "dedicated IP", or "static IP." Additional features like these will always allow you to access content from Netflix through a VPN service.
That's not to say a VPN makes you invisible to spies or law enforcement. Your traffic could still be intercepted in any number of ways. A VPN does make it harder to correlate online activities to you, and adds a layer of encryption during parts of your online traffic's journey. A determined, well-funded adversary that has singled you out for surveillance will likely find a way. But VPNs and widespread adoption of HTTPS make it much harder for mass surveillance to work as it has in the past.
In the past, some VPN services would offer different pricing tiers, each of which offered a different set of features. One way to separate these pricing tiers was to limit the bandwidth (how much data you can transfer). With premium services, this practice is now almost unheard of, and all of the services we have listed do not limit their users' bandwidth. Bandwidth limits live on, however, in free VPN services.
You've heard the advice before: Whether you're in the office or on the road, a VPN is one of the best ways to protect yourself on the internet. But how effective are VPNs? What's the best one for you? What are the downsides? Our executive guide aims to answer all your VPN-related questions -- including a few you probably haven't thought about before.
Based in Gibraltar, Buffered is a relative new name in the marketplace that has quickly started gaining huge fame. Thanks to its remarkable security features, huge list of servers, and responsive customer service. The only area the VPN lacks in is its logging policy, which states that there is some session/connection logging. However, since the provider is based in Holland, there is no possibility of receiving a warrant for providing data records.

I supported them on their starts but it was a mistake, they are running vpn traffic through your computer, even if you have premium this is what they does. I always got slow speed, they always had [REDACTED] support making excuses worst service ever, not speaking of leaking your dns, crashdowns without any warnings so your entire traffic is unprotected. complete bs service

When you connect to the internet, your IP address and system information are sent along with each packet. Those requests go through the DNS servers of your internet service provider and are routed to the domains they’re requesting. During that time, the government and network snoopers can spy on your connection and log the data you’re transferring.

There are several different VPN protocols, not all of which are used by all of the VPN services we reviewed. Most operating systems have built-in support for at least one of these protocols, which means you can use that protocol — and a willing VPN service — without client software. The full-fledged VPN services have online instructions for how to do this, as well as how to set up routers to connect directly to the services.

Depending on how ISPs respond to a newly deregulated environment, a VPN could tunnel traffic past any choke points or blockades thrown up by ISPs. That said, an obvious response would be to block or throttle all VPN traffic. Or perhaps ISPs will come up with an entirely novel way to monetize the letitude given them by the current lack of net neutrality legislation.

Upon digging into the matter, the authorities found that the police officer’s Facebook and Gmail were deleted. That too, right after the assassination of the Ambassador. Digital traces revealed the action was done over a private connection, operated by ExpressVPN. Turkish authorities seized the server in question and conducted a thorough inspection, but could not find any find anything.

Digging a little into its history, ZenMate made its way into the marketplace back in 2014. This means it has been in the industry for a good 4 years. The provider has its main headquarters in Berlin, Germany – which is quite a safe location. Initially, the service was a FREE privacy extension for Chrome. However, later on it jumped the freemium bandwagon, creating premium plans too for leveraging better security.
Things can get tricky when it comes to trusting a VPN. Recently, PureVPN handed over log information the company had to federal investigators building a case against a cyberstalker and general dirtbag. Some were surprised that the company had any information to hand over, or that it did cooperated with investigators at all. It seems to us that PureVPN stayed within the bounds of its stated privacy policy. But it's also true that other companies, such as Private Internet Access, aren't able to connect any of your personal information to your account information.
If you require a high level of trust on the authentication process as well as the encryption, you might consider using digital certificates instead of the standard preshared secret key that most VPNs default to. Digital certificates guarantee that the person trying to connect is who he or she says he or she is. A separate digital certificate for each end connection can be expensive; however, some VPN vendors offer authentication services that provide a bulk discount on certificates.
Even TunnelBear's network performance and pricing are just about average compared to other services we've reviewed, except that you can pay with literal jars of honey. The company takes security and privacy seriously, explaining its policies and protocols in plain English, and you can read the results of two third-party security audits on the company website.
In general, the answer is yes, it is perfectly legal (and normal!) to use VPNs, even if you are in places like China where VPNs are restricted. VPNs are used every day by businesses and individuals throughout the world for basic privacy and security purposes. Businesses rely on VPN technology and encryption for security reasons and it would not make sense for this to ever become illegal.

With double, 2048-bit SSL encryption, it’s easy to see that NordVPN values your privacy. But the company has also worked hard to build up its server network to include more than 5,200 server locations in 62 countries around the world. The service also comes with a variety of security tools for encrypted chat and proxy extensions, and you can use up to six devices simultaneously, which is higher than many companies are willing to go.

PureVPN is a superb VPN that is perfect for most people. Not only is it incredibly cheap, but it provides fast connection speeds that are ideal for streaming. Servers are located in over 90 countries, which means that when it comes to unblocking this VPN has got you covered. While it does keep some connection logs, PureVPN implements strong encryption and has proven that it can keep people's data safe from ISPs and the government's prying eyes. Apps are available for all platforms; PureVPN is a pleasure to use and has fantastic features such as a killswitch and DNS leak protection. PureVPN even provides dedicated IPs for steaming, so if subscribers have trouble unblocking something they can contact its 24/7 live chat support.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are becoming more widely-spread in terms of usage. The two main reasons for this are that users want to achieve some privacy and that they want to gain access to websites and media restricted in their country. Companies are adding VPN services as an additional layer of security and a solution to safely transfer documents and sensitive information, to prevent corporate espionage, as well as achieving communication between employees without worry.
ProtonVPN has the unique distinction of placing no data restrictions on free users. You can browse as much as you want, as long as you want. You will be limited to just one device on the service at a time and can only choose between three server locations, but the unlimited data makes up for all that. It doesn't hurt that ProtonVPN, from the same people that brought you super-secure ProtonMail email, is very concerned about security and customer privacy. For all that, ProtonVPN is our Editors' Choice for free VPN.
Mullvad gives users the added bonus of using the OpenVPN protocol on the famous TCP Port 443. This allow you to route through the Transport Layer Security (TLS) used in HTTPs. Not only does this boost your protection in regressive countries, but it also makes it hard for firewalls and other technologies to spot you. This option will protect you even if snoopers are using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI).
OpenVPN: OpenVPN is very secure, open-source and widely used. Most VPN services support it, but except for Chrome OS and Linux, few operating systems do. This protocol can be used in either TCP (web) or UDP (streaming) mode; the latter is sloppier but faster. You'll need either the VPN service's client software or one of the many free alternatives. Either way, you'll still need to pay for the VPN service.
My recommendation, and the protocol I most often choose to use, is OpenVPN. OpenVPN is a non-proprietary, open-source implementation of a VPN communication layer protocol. It's well-understood, well-regarded, generally quite secure, and robust. In addition, it has the benefit of being able to communicate over port 443, which is the standard port for https communication, which means almost all firewalls will allow OpenVPN traffic -- and most won't even be able to detect that a VPN is being used.
They’re Based in Romania – A Safe Jurisdiction, if they do collect some of your personal data, (say logs – it’s aggregated into a combined form and represents a collection of the mass or sum of all VPN.ac users). Besides possibly being on an altogether different server than your selected surfing point from, they won’t share it with any other countries. Rest assured…
IPVanish operates hundreds of servers in 60 countries, including 12 in APAC. It owns all of its own physical servers resulting in some of the fastest download speeds available from any VPN. Those speeds cannot be put toward streaming Netflix, however, as IPVanish is currently not able to unblock Netflix. It’s a good option for P2P filesharers. Torrenting traffic is allowed on all servers. The company is based in the US but has a strict no logs policy.
Norton WiFi Privacy performed very well in our latest round of speed tests. In the UK, we got FTP and HTTP download speeds of around 9.5MB/s (76Mb/s). Using endpoints in the Netherlands, that HTTP speed went up to 10.1MB/s (81Mbit/s). U.S. speeds were also very good, exceeding our non-VPN reference download at 5.8MB/s (46.4Mbit/s) for FTP and 4.8MB/s (38.4Mbit/s) for HTTP downloads.
Yes, VPNs are completely safe to use and operate, whether it be unblocking websites/streaming services or engaging in P2P/Torrenting activities for downloading pirated stuff. However, it is imperative that you choose the right one, as to protect your identity online. You would not want to compromise on online safety, hence always go for a VPN that comes equipped with advanced features, a huge list of servers, 24/7 customer support, and reasonable pricing.
That means when we make a claim that no logs are kept, we’re doing so in good faith that no identifiable information is on record. We’re splitting the hairs so there’s no doubt as to what you’re putting on the internet. We’ve dug through the privacy policies and done the research, so you can rest assured that any meaningful information is off the record.
It's easy to want to find the perfect, magical tool that will protect you from all possible threats. But the honest truth is that if someone targets you specifically and is willing to put forward the effort, they will get to you. A VPN can be defeated by malware on your device, or by analyzing traffic patterns to correlate activity on your computer to activity on the VPN server. But using security tools like a VPN ensure that you won't be an easy target, or get scooped up in mass surveillance.
A VPN is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling protocols, or traffic encryption. A VPN available from the public Internet can provide some of the benefits of a wide area network (WAN). From a user perspective, the resources available within the private network can be accessed remotely.[2]
We also conduct an assessment of their pricing and plans, advanced features, privacy, website, and overall encryption/security. At the same time, we analyze mentions and brand searches.To go a little more in-depth, BestVPN.co also checks different websites/communities/forums for genuine USER reviews. This helps in cases we miss on specific issues/problems our viewer-base should know about.
They will run an independent audit to verify their “no logs” claim. After all, it is only wise since they are being blamed of having relations with a data mining company! The audit is expected to be completed within 2 months. Until we get complete details on the auditing, we cannot say much about the allegations. Though, the situation is definitely alarming.
The heart of the security a VPN provides is its encryption keys—the unique secret that all your VPN devices share. If the keys are too short, VPN data is susceptible to brute-force cracking. You can often choose the key length to use in your VPN implementation. The longer you make keys, the harder they are to break, but the trade-off is that longer keys also require more processor power for encryption and might slow packet throughput. The minimum recommended key length now is 64 bits (128 bits, if possible) for the symmetric ciphers that encrypt the data and 2048 bits for public key cryptography such as RSA. Modern desktop computers can often crack 40-bit and shorter keys, such as those that DES uses.
Perfect Privacy is a 100% no logs and enforces no limits of any kind – unlimited devices and unlimited bandwidth. Their network is composed entirely of dedicated, bare-metal servers that offer fast speeds, high security, and lots of bandwidth (see real-time server bandwidth here). Like ExpressVPN, Perfect Privacy has also passed real-world tests that verified their no logging claims when one of their servers was seized in Rotterdam (customer data remained safe).
The VPN providers present a great variety of virtual private network outputs for technically savvy and average customers. The tech world struggles with a lot of outputs that are design and technologically presented. At times, it is hard to differentiate between these two ideas. Luckily, there are a few tech geeks that have mastered the design of the virtual private networks and have enough competence in all the matters of VPN outputs to differentiate the bad and good services. For a computer specialist, there are some VPN services evaluations that they will deal with daily. Therefore seek help from a computer professional before purchase.
When it comes to selecting a VPN, you need to be 100% sure you are making the right decision. This is why you must look for a neutral third party audit review of providers. This gives prospects an independent assessment of the VPN and its ongoing maintenance of supporting technology. It also provides unbiased information about the services’ standards, guidelines, and CLAIMS!
Israel-based Hola isn’t a traditional VPN in which customers connect to a network of centralized servers owned by the VPN company. Instead, Hola users connect to each other, using other users’ idle bandwidth as part of a large peer-to-peer network. Obviously, this comes with some pretty big security and legal concerns. Users could use each other’s internet for illegal activity, for example. In 2015, Hola used its user’s computers to create a botnet and perform a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The abuse of customers’ trust happened entirely without their knowledge.
That means fewer options and in some cases no options at all when Australians want to stream a TV show, play a video game, or listen to music. The lack of choice can lead to increased piracy of copyrighted material. In December 2016, a federal court in Australia ordered internet service providers to block BitTorrent tracker sites including ThePirateBay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt and SolarMovie.

ExpressVPN is also one of the best VPNs for streaming. Whether you are using a VPN with Kodi or streaming Netflix with a VPN, ExpressVPN offers great apps for streaming devices and high-capacity bandwidth for HD videos and downloads. Their customer service is also top-notch, with 24/7 live chat support and a 30 day money-back guarantee with all subscription plans. [Learn more >]

This again singles out NordVPN from the rest, as it boasts the largest server database in the marketplace. However, things do not just end here; you also receive multiple protocol support, which includes PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. Moreover, you have native apps for all platforms/devices, along with manual setup guides and built-in VPN routers. This comes in handy for configuring a secure connection around your house.
Yes, I really like vpn.ac as well. speed are consistently fast and every server works with US netflix, you dont really need to change to US server for US netflix, you can connect any of the server, say France and once you logged into netflix, it will show US content. Even inside netflix activity logs, it will show you are connecting from US Georgia.. I think that is a pretty neat feature I must say.
No reputable VPN service logs any kind of user activity, unlike your internet service provider, which can easily log every website you visit by storing all your DNS requests sent in cleartext. The only VPN on this list that maintains 24 hours worth of basic connection logs (no activity) is VPN.ac, and they clearly state their reasons (security) for doing so. There have been shady VPNs that have cooperated with government agencies, such as PureVPN (see logging case) and I do not recommend these providers.
That said, there’s one provider that doesn’t compromise anything. Windscribe has the best free plan we’ve seen, with multiple options to upgrade to a paid plan in the future. You get 10GB of data transfer and access to a limited server network, but all the other features are left intact. That includes Windscribe’s range of privacy tools for browsers and its URL checker.
Using Wi-Fi on the Windows laptops, we timed how long it took to connect to websites, measured latency times (how long it took a server to respond), and recorded upload and download speeds with Ookla's Speedtest meter, both with and without the VPN activated. We also timed how long it took to download a large video file, both with and without VPN activation.
In terms of general performance, Hide My Ass! around the average mark with a quick and stable 6.4MB/s (51.2Mbit/s) for FTP to 6.9MB/s (55.2Mbit/s) HTTP via UK endpoints, and 8.8MB/s (70.4Mbit/s) for FTP and 7.2MB/s (57.6Mbit/s) HTTP in the Netherlands. In other words, pretty good going. VPN connections to the U.S. are almost invariably slower than those to closer geographic endpoints, as you’d expect, the 2.12MB/s (16.96Mbit/d) we got with Hide My Ass this time around was definitely below average.

There are several different VPN protocols, not all of which are used by all of the VPN services we reviewed. Most operating systems have built-in support for at least one of these protocols, which means you can use that protocol — and a willing VPN service — without client software. The full-fledged VPN services have online instructions for how to do this, as well as how to set up routers to connect directly to the services.

In terms of general performance, Hide My Ass! around the average mark with a quick and stable 6.4MB/s (51.2Mbit/s) for FTP to 6.9MB/s (55.2Mbit/s) HTTP via UK endpoints, and 8.8MB/s (70.4Mbit/s) for FTP and 7.2MB/s (57.6Mbit/s) HTTP in the Netherlands. In other words, pretty good going. VPN connections to the U.S. are almost invariably slower than those to closer geographic endpoints, as you’d expect, the 2.12MB/s (16.96Mbit/d) we got with Hide My Ass this time around was definitely below average.
Similarly, many VPN companies would rather not have to deal with the legal implications of their services being used to download via BitTorrent. BitTorrent is, of course, not inherently illegal but it is often used to pirate copyrighted material. Very few VPN companies outright ban BitTorrenting on their servers, while others restrict its use to specific servers.

Since we first recommended IVPN in the spring of 2018, the company has added automatic server selection to its desktop applications, bringing it in line with other top-performing VPN apps. Alternatively, when you click on the location at the bottom of the app, you’ll see a list of all of the global IVPN server locations, color coded by speed. At the top of the list is an option to connect to the fastest one, and once selected, the app remembers your preference through future disconnects and reboots. You can also use IVPN’s multihop servers to route your traffic through two VPN servers—a feature unique to IVPN among the services we tested—though we don’t think this step is necessary for most people, given the slower speeds you’ll likely experience.

TunnelBear is designed for a very specific group of people: people who want a VPN service but don’t want to mess around with configuration or become IT experts to make their connections more secure. And it caters brilliantly for that market, with a very straightforward interface and jargon-free writing. In truth, all of the VPN services these days do this but TunnelBear tries very hard to stand out. It’s not for power users - there isn’t much you can change - but with up to five simultaneous connections, servers across 20 countries and decent performance on US and Canadian websites. Longer connections can be slower, though: it’s when the relatively small number of server locations makes itself obvious. There’s a free version that limits you to 500MB of monthly traffic, and if you pay annually the price of the full version drops from $9.99 to $4.99 per month.

Another reason to use a VPN is for torrenting. The risks of torrenting with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act present are real. Though doing so may only result in a notice from your ISP in certain countries, in others it may lead to a fine or jail time. We’re not here to condone torrenting copyrighted content, or deter it, but you should be using a VPN if you’re going to pirate.

In the UK, both HTTP and FTP downloads came in at around 9.5MB/s (76Mbit/s). Our FTP tests in the Netherlands were a zippy 10.6MB/s (84.8Mb/s) and HTTP downloads were a little slower, but still quick at 7.3MB/s (58.4Mb/s). Windscribe’s U.S. connection speeds were among the fastest we’ve seen at 6.9MB/s (55.2Mb/s) over FTP and 5.6MB/s (44.8Mb/s) via HTTP.

In terms of general performance, Hide My Ass! around the average mark with a quick and stable 6.4MB/s (51.2Mbit/s) for FTP to 6.9MB/s (55.2Mbit/s) HTTP via UK endpoints, and 8.8MB/s (70.4Mbit/s) for FTP and 7.2MB/s (57.6Mbit/s) HTTP in the Netherlands. In other words, pretty good going. VPN connections to the U.S. are almost invariably slower than those to closer geographic endpoints, as you’d expect, the 2.12MB/s (16.96Mbit/d) we got with Hide My Ass this time around was definitely below average.
It may not seem like it, but ZenMate exists as one of the very few providers, which offers apps for all platforms. It even offers plug-ins for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera browsers. For connectivity, you do have the ability to connect to servers in 30 countries worldwide. We messaged ZenMate to give us an exact figure on the number of servers. We will update as soon as we receive a response.

The Center for Democracy & Technology brought just such a complaint against one VPN provider last year, though no enforcement action has been announced. Many privacy sites suggest finding a VPN service outside the prying eyes of US intelligence agencies and their allies, but FTC protections could be an argument for finding one in the US so that there’s a penalty if it deceives its customers.

Since the VPN connection works by connecting a network to a private server and the encryption of the data needs time, every VPN connection is at least marginally slower. The speed of the connection depends on both endpoints, often an overloaded or far away located VPN server is responsible for the performance loss. Paid VPN services usually guarantee a certain bandwidth in their SLAs.[37]
In an overcrowded VPN market, ExpressVPN continues to stand out from the rest and remains the top recommendation at Restore Privacy. It is based in the British Virgin Islands and offers secure, user-friendly apps for all devices. Extensive testing for the ExpressVPN review found it to be very secure, with exceptional speeds and reliability throughout the server network.
Like Avast, Avira got into the VPN business to complement its antivirus offerings. Phantom VPN is easy to use and gives you up to 1GB of data per month for free, making this service ideal for vacation travelers who just need to check email. Its unlimited paid plans are reasonably priced, but it had slow downloads and dropped connections in our 2017 tests.
Like Avast, Avira got into the VPN business to complement its antivirus offerings. Phantom VPN is easy to use and gives you up to 1GB of data per month for free, making this service ideal for vacation travelers who just need to check email. Its unlimited paid plans are reasonably priced, but it had slow downloads and dropped connections in our 2017 tests.

You have a 30-day refund guarantee available for test driving the service. The apps, in general, will definitely grab your attention. For instance, the desktop client offers users specific modes for using the VPN. You can choose to surf anonymously, unblock streaming, secure Wi-Fi hotspot, torrent anonymously, and unblock basic websites. Other features you receive include Split Tunneling, NAT Firewall, and multi-logins on 5 devices!

As YouTube and Netflix make more money, the distribution models become more complex. For example, Annihilation — an instant sci-fi classic, according to your writer — was released in theaters in the U.S., but released exclusively through Netflix in the U.K. and Australia. Similarly, season four of Better Call Saul aired on AMC in the U.S., while new episodes in the U.K. aired on Netflix.
With over 145+ server locations. Expressvpn gives you fast and flash like speed and allows its clients to have access to over 94 countries worldwide. Expressvpn servers are input in the most in-demand nations. They include the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Brazil, and the Netherlands. The Netherlands serves as the torrenting server or capital of the world.
Surfshark even offers a lot of useful features to customers. For instance, CleanWebTM adds ad-blocking, tracker-blocking and malware protection to your VPN connection, which enhances your overall browsing experience. It even offers an immensely useful MultiHop feature. This can allow you to bypass your internet through two different servers around the world to keep your identity hidden. Add this to Surfshark’s diamond-strong protection and users can feel assured to stay safe online at all times.

PureVPN has a huge choice of 750 servers in 141 countries and counting. The sheer volume of features, toggles, and tools they provide makes it a top contender for the advanced users. There is a stealth browsing mode, online banking security, secure FTP access, multiple protocols and more. They have server lists optimized for P2P and video streaming, so switching is easy.

StrongVPN operates servers in 21 countries, six of which are in APAC. Torrenting is allowed on all servers. It can unblock both Australian and US Netflix in a browser, but not in the Netflix app. StrongVPN has a no-logs policy and is based in the United States. Whereas most other VPNs on this list primarily rely on the OpenVPN protocol, StrongVPN is a mix of OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and SSTP. Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android.

If you require a high level of trust on the authentication process as well as the encryption, you might consider using digital certificates instead of the standard preshared secret key that most VPNs default to. Digital certificates guarantee that the person trying to connect is who he or she says he or she is. A separate digital certificate for each end connection can be expensive; however, some VPN vendors offer authentication services that provide a bulk discount on certificates.

This is important to understand. Consumer VPN services protect your transmission from your location to their location, not from your location all the way to the destination application you're using. If you think about it, this makes sense: A consumer VPN service is operated by a completely different company than, for example, Facebook or your bank.
I had to know why Goose VPN was so named. My first order of business was to reach out to the company's co-founder and ask. Geese, I was told, make excellent guard animals. There are records of guard geese giving the alarm in ancient Rome when the Gauls attacked. Geese have been used to guard a US Air Defense Command base in Germany and a brewery in Scotland.